MARY POPPINS Opens Tonight at the Providence Performing Arts Center

The Providence premiere of MARY POPPINS opens tonight, Thursday, February 9 at the Providence Performing Arts Center for a limited engagement of 2 weeks through Sunday, February 19. MARY POPPINS plays Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at 7PM, Thursday and Friday evenings at 7PM, Saturday evenings at 8PM, Sunday evenings at 6:30PM, and Saturday matinees at 2PM and Sunday matinees at 1PM with an additional performance on Thursday, February 16 at 2PM.

With four productions currently running on three continents, MARY POPPINS is one of the biggest stage musical successes to emerge from London or New York in recent years. Worldwide to date, the show has grossed over $644 million and welcomed more than 9 million guests. The musical is the winner of 44 major theatre awards around the globe, including Tony®, Olivier, Helpmann and Evening Standard awards.

The entire original creative team has reunited to bring this magical story of the world’s most famous nanny to audiences around North America. The MARY POPPINS North American Tour began performances on March 25, 2009 and has played to more than two million delighted theatregoers in over 30 cities to date.

Rachel Wallace will star as “Mary Poppins” while original Broadway company member, Case Dillard, will assume the role of “Bert.”

Joining Wallace and Dillard will be Michael Dean Morgan as “George Banks,”Elizabeth Broadhurst as “Winifred Banks,” Tregoney Shepherd as “Mrs. Brill,”Blake Segal as “Robertson Ay,” Q. Smith as “Miss Andrew” and “The Bird Woman,” and Ryan Hilliard as “Admiral Boom.” Performances in the role of “Jane Banks” will be alternated between Marissa Ackerman and Cherish Myers. Performances in the role of “Michael Banks” will be alternated between Zach Timson and Zachary Mackiewicz.

Rounding out the cast are Ben Atkin, Emily Cramer, Con O’Shea Creal, James Patterson, Sean Patrick Doyle, Ben Cherry,Tonya Thompson, Lindsey Bliven,Danielle Benton, Elizabeth Ann Berg, Ian Campayno, Kerry Conte, Andrew Eckert, Jordan Grubb, Kenway Kua, Genny Sermonia, James Tolbert, Paige Williams, Elizabeth Earley, Billy Griffin, Annie Petersmeyer, and Stephen Roberts.

MARY POPPINS, a co-production of Disney and Cameron Mackintosh, opened on Broadway on November 16, 2006. Based on P.L. Travers' cherished stories and the classic 1964 Walt Disney film, MARY POPPINS the stage play features the Academy Award®-winning music and lyrics of Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman. The stage production has been created, in collaboration with Cameron Mackintosh, by Academy Award®-winning screenwriter Julian Fellowes, who has written the book, and the Olivier Award-winning team of George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, who have composed new songs and additional music and lyrics.

Olivier Award-winning director Richard Eyre leads the award-winning creative team, with co-direction and choreography by Tony® and Olivier Award winner Matthew Bourne. MARY POPPINS features set and costume design by Tony Award winner Bob Crowley, co-choreography by Olivier Award winner Stephen Mear, lighting design by Howard Harrison, orchestrations by William David Brohn, and music supervision by David Caddick. The tour’s creative team includes Tour Director Anthony Lyn, Associate Choreographer Geoffrey Garratt, and Music Director Daniel Bowling.